Towards a healthier tourism industry

Towards a healthier tourism industry Promoting well-being as a destination resource

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Overview The National Coastal Tourism Academy (NCTA) today launches its latest insight report, Destination FeelGood, focussing on the potential economic benefits to be gained from the ‘wellness’ market.

Produced in collaboration with Bournemouth University and cofunded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), the report provides coastal destinations with an invaluable guide to a fast-growing – and potentially enormously lucrative – market sector.

Globally, the health and wellness market is calculated to be worth close to £315 billion and, given the perceived historic links between “health” and “seaside”, coastal destinations are arguably best placed to capitalise on the sector’s potential.

A relatively new concept, “wellness” primarily concerns personal goals. At one end of the scale, it connotes “contentment”, “happiness”, and “pleasure attainment”; at the other extreme, it involves physical, mental and emotional fitness – derived from anything from extreme sports to meditation.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that holidaymakers – of all ages – increasingly look to “do something” with their down-time, whether that be learning a new language or reading a long-ignored novel, or setting new personal bests in kayaking or road-running.

It can be argued that any holiday involves at least a degree of “wellness” – “a break is as good as a rest” – but for increasing numbers of tourists, “well-being” has become the primary motivation for a holiday.

That motivation could centre on anything from spa and beauty treatments, through de-tox and dietary regimes, to engaging in or perfecting pursuits ranging from angling to aqua-aerobics and from snorkelling to surfing.

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Towards a healthier tourism industry

Aims, objectives and achievements Against that background, the Destination FeelGood report emphasises that “government policy on health is currently seeking to focus on prevention and public health more generally” and suggests that the primary responsibility is being devolved to local authorities.

It suggests that while public health and tourism are clearly inter-related, the potential for cooperation between the two sectors has not yet been fully explored, let alone realised.

Given greater devolved responsibilities, local authorities would have the opportunity to create a culture in which tourism is seen not merely as an revenue-generator and economic stimulant, but also as a contributor to improving health and well-being among visitors and local residents alike.

As an adjunct to that, and in the light of efforts to increase tourism employment growth prospects, the Destination FeelGood project team also

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explored the potential benefits of promoting health and wellness among the tourism workforce.

By improving to job satisfaction and boosting motivation and productivity, workforce wellness is seen as a means of delivering higher levels of staff retention and raising the profile of the tourism sector as a career option with clear opportunities for progression.

“Wellness” is – or can be – a differentiator when it comes to holiday choice, but there are challenges to overcome and, in order to explore those challenges and the means to overcome them, the NCTA in conjunction with Bournemouth University, staged a series of six “ideas cafés”, held at threemonthly intervals throughout 2014 and 2015.

Guest speakers offered expert insights into various aspects of wellness tourism to focus groups of stakeholders from industry and academia who were then invited to discuss the potential advantages and drawbacks.

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The ideas cafés

The ideas cafés explored centred on three key themes: the marketing and product opportunities in health and wellbeing tourism; food, innovation and legislation; and “healthy staff, healthy profit”.

In the first ideas café marketing and product opportunities, participants heard presentations from Bournemouth University, the NCTA and market research consultancy BDRC International, the latter outlining recent research into the wider health and wellness tourism market.

Stakeholders agreed that wellbeing was “a definite growth area”, concluding that the pace and pressure of contemporary life means that people have increasing desire and need to take time out to relax and recuperate.

Participants also agreed that the tourism industry generally has not – to date – responded as well as it might have done to this trend. They identified a number of areas which they believed could be usefully exploited – “tech-free bars and restaurants”, for example, much like train operating companies’ “quiet zone” carriages.

They recognised a growing interest in healthy eating and drinking and increasing consumer concerns about the provenance of the food and beverage offering, and identified the potential for local businesses (farms and fisheries, for example)

to work together to enhance the overall visitor experience.

It was also noted that Dorset is seen as somewhat bucolic, and that residents have a high life expectancy – lifestyle elements that could usefully be promoted to those in search of a healthy, away-from-it-all experience.

On the downside, stakeholder participants identified a range of issues, primarily centred on a destination’s ability to provide sufficient diversity of activity.

Generally poor public transport links deter visitors from travelling between different experience sites and, particularly in the case of families and groups, it was recognised that it could be difficult to appeal to participants of varying ages and abilities.

Small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of the UK tourism industry, often lack the capital (and the support, financial or otherwise) to invest in wellness-specific products and services.

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Towards a healthier tourism industry

The second strand of ideas cafés focussed on food, innovation and legislation. On the one hand, there is a growing trend towards “eating out” with diners becoming increasingly adventurous in sampling “new” foods and cuisines. On the other, diners are becoming more discerning, demanding ever more information on provenance and, in particular, allergens.

While participants generally agreed that food and innovation could present a business growth opportunity, there was less unanimity on other matters.

Some suggested it was largely longer-stay visitors who expressed an interest in their food, while others highlighted the increasing sales of “healthy options” as an indicator that consumers generally are increasingly health-conscious.

Contrarily, one beachfront retailer said that holidaymakers prefer familiar, “comfort food” options; vegetarian dishes were the least popular option.

Hoteliers noted that guests do want to know what ingredients are being used, partly because of an apparent increase in food allergies, but also because they are interested in produce and ingredients that they cannot normally buy from their local supermarket.

All stakeholders were concerned that new regulations demanding ever more information regarding ingredients be published on menus lead to “menu clutter” – a brief description of the dishes, the price, a “vegetarian” indicator and possibly an calorie-count is deemed to be more than enough information for most clients.

The third ideas café strand, “Healthy staff, healthy profit”, involved a presentation on the importance of a healthy – and contented – workforce.

Employers confessed this area was not a high priority, largely because of a perceived low return on investment. Equally, they acknowledged that failure to invest in the health and well-being of employees could result in high staff turnover which is not only costly but also imposes an additional workload on remaining employees.

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Participants recognised that concern for employee well-being reflected well on the business, and that company reputations can be enhanced (or damaged) by word-of-mouth comments about employers.

Adverse publicity surrounding zero-hours contracts was seen as a minor consideration, with one employer noting that staff embraced the flexibility that such contracts permit.

Two key challenges emerged – the lack of affordable accommodation and the “not very positive image” of the hospitality industry as a career.

As one stakeholder observed: “I go to many employment fairs and, whilst people do want to talk to me, their parents dissuade them and only see the negative side of our profession. Hospitality is a good career and the industry is in growth, so we need more people.”

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Case studies Destination FeelGood case studies demonstrate that few of these challenges are insurmountable.

• The Pine Ridge bed-and-breakfast establishment in Broadstone, Dorset, run by former accountant and pub manager Jill Webber, is at the centre of a network of cycling trails. Having seen a rising number of guests arriving with bicycles, Jill installed cycle racks but, inspired by her ideas café, she is now seeking to connect with cycling groups and form alliances with cycling events in the area.

• O pened by two Bournemouth University graduates in 2013, Monty’s Lounge is a bar/restaurant founded on sustainable principles. Having attended one of the ideas cafés, the proprietors have adjusted the Lounge’s menus to incorporate and advertise more locally-sourced produce and ingredients, and signed up to a “cycle to work” scheme for staff members.

• Part of the FJB Hotels group, the beachfront Sandbanks Hotel already provides a range of activities for guests of all ages but, following HR manager Andy Woodland’s ideas café, it was decided to inaugurate a health and well-being programme for employees – partly to improve motivation, productivity and retention, but also to create an infectious spirit for wellness among the hotels’ guests.

None of these initiatives has involved significant capital outlay, but all complement promotional and marketing activities targeting the wellness tourism market.

As the Destination FeelGood report makes clear, any destination marketing strategy should have the potential to increase visitor expenditure, either by increasing visitor volumes (for example by extending into the should and off-peak seasons) or by attracting higher-spending tourists or, ideally, and amalgam of both.

By tailoring visitor experiences to particular target audiences, destinations encourage repeat visitation – in the case of Bournemouth, recent research suggests that 35% of the town’s tourists visit more than once a year, and 69% of repeat visitors recommend their experience to others.

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Towards a healthier tourism industry

Conclusion The consumer appetite for wellness holidays and breaks is growing, and growing rapidly – current estimates suggest that demand will outstrip supply by 2020 at the latest. Early entrants will reap the greatest rewards from the sector, with a high degree of repeat business potential.

The wellness proposition is an adjunct to, rather than a substitute for, the traditional holiday. Indeed, marketed effectively, the availability of wellness activities could enhance the hedonistic holidaymaker’s experience, raising the prospect of yet more repeat business.

Equally, wellness visitors are generally indulging in “top-up travel” – they are (usually) taking short breaks in shoulder seasons between the traditional summer and winter holidays. Effective marketing could well persuade wellness tourists to re-visit a destination for longer main holidays.

Again, a sizeable proportion of the wellness segment is in the under-35, pre-family age bracket; investment in the wellness market is an investment for the future.

The pre-family segment generally has higher disposable income, and is more willing to pay a premium for a quality experience.

Public health policies, predicated on prevention rather than cure, along with intense media interest in promoting “active” and “healthy” lifestyles, are only likely to increase consumer interest in, and demand for, wellness experiences.

Ultimately, as the Destination FeelGood report suggests, meeting the needs of healthier tourists makes for a healthier tourism industry – with spin-off direct and indirect economic benefits for coastal destination communities as a whole.

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Towards a healthier tourism industry

Takeaways • Globally, the health and wellness market is calculated to be worth close to £315 billion – and growing rapidly.

• People are much more likely to pursue “wellness” ambitions whilst on holiday.

• One in five of all UK residents take at least one wellness-dedicated break a year, rising to nearly one-third among 18- to 34-year-olds • Only 8% of wellness breaks are taken in coastal destinations, but 59% of respondents say they would prefer a coastal setting, • Wellness breaks are a shoulder-season business - 38% are taken in the pre-peak months of May and June, and 35% in the post-peak months of September and October.

• Wellness visitors are significantly more likely to fall into the AB socioeconomic group, and to stay in four and five-star accommodation.

• They also tend to spend more than traditional holidaymakers – in the case of Bournemouth, spending is calculated to be more than double that of other visitors.

• Demand is projected to outstrip supply within the next five years, and early entrants will reap the richest rewards.

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